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For Iran, Sanctions Are a Price Worth Paying to Preserve the Islamic Republic

(Guardian-UK) Hadi Kahalzadeh and John Schiemann - Sanctions against Iran are predicated on a "rational actor model" in which the West hopes Iran's leaders will eventually find it in their own interests to give up their nuclear program. But for Iran's leaders, ideological and security concerns trump economic ones. In the eyes of the Iranian leadership, the "struggle against imperialism," one of the Islamic Republic's founding myths, is of far more importance than losing even billions of dollars. To supreme leader Ali Khamenei, continuation of its nuclear program and pursuance of its regional ambitions are key to the regime's long-term security. With Iran and the West playing different games, a peaceful resolution in the near future seems very unlikely. Hadi Kahalzadeh is a visiting scholar at Fairleigh Dickinson University. John Schiemann is chair of the department of social sciences and history at Fairleigh Dickinson.
2012-07-03 00:00:00
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